Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying / Austrian Death Machine
by Cameron Edney
Guest Staff Writer
Forming in 2001 California’s favorite Metalcore sons As I Lay Dying wasted no time making one hell of a name for themselves. Within the first twelve months of the bands existence they had entered the studio to record their debut full-length album ‘Beneath the Encasing of Ashes’ and began touring extensively around the United States west coast. As times gone by As I lay Dying have earned the respect of their peers largely due to their fierce and aggressive approach in the studio as well as their high energetic live performances. Releasing their second album ‘Frail Words Collapse’ in 2003, As I Lay dying would get their first taste of chart success debuting at #30 on Billboard’s Independent charts as well as climbing up the Heatseekers charts in the U.S.
The band soon jetted off to tour across the United States and Canada with the likes of Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed and In Flames to name just a few. By mid-2007 the band had released four studio albums and Metalcore fans and journalist around the world were sitting up and taking notice. 2007’s ‘An Ocean Between Us’ gave the band their first American top ten peaking at #8 and moving close to 40,000 units. Having built a reputation early on for their live performances As I Lay Dying would soon take their live performances around the world playing to fans across Europe, Japan and Australia and would see them with slots the Warped, Taste of Chaos and Soundwave Festival bills. Four years on They’re celebrating their 10th Anniversary and have released their fifth and finest studio album to date ‘The Powerless Rise’. Having smashed charts across the United States, Canada and Germany, the success of ‘The Powerless Ride’ has kept As I Lay Dying out on the road playing to sold-out crowds across the globe.
The band returned to Australia this week alongside metal heavyweights Trivium and Disturbed for a handful of sold-out stadium performances proving once and for all that they have what it takes to make it in this business. I had the pleasure of catching up with the bands multi-instrumentalist front man Tim Lambesis last week to talk about the bands current Australian tour, plans to record a new album to commemorate the bands 10th Anniversary, working with Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta and much more.
Hardrock Haven: Tim, thanks so much for talking to us today, you’ve toured Australia a couple of times now what can we expect on the current tour and what fond memories do you have of Australian tours past?
Tim: This is our first tour of Australia since ‘The Powerless Rise’ came out, the last time we were there was about a month before the album came out so the only real new thing on this tour will be the amount of new songs that we’ll be playing. The last tour we did, we played smaller rooms and they were all sold-out places and I remember feeling that it was a pretty similar feeling to playing back home. I have great memories of every tour we do there. I think of Australia as a vacation more than a tour. I remember the first time we did overseas tours in general, I was pretty surprised at how uncomfortable I felt in a lot of places but when it comes to Australia there’s different accents of course and the culture is a little different but overall it’s not too far from what I’m used to in San Diego. The Australian fans drink a little more than our fans back home which makes them a little bit rowdy which is a good thing.
Hardrock Haven: With so many years of road experience under your belt now, do you do anything specific to warm up and prepare for a show or do you prefer to hit the stage running?
Tim: A lot of singers worry about that stuff too much. Not that I’ve done a lot of scientific research but from what I’ve gathered the less stressed out a person is the better their instrument works. For me, I try not to think about it. Once I get onstage I figure out a way to make ends meet, even if my throat is sore from the previous day it always works out.
Hardrock Haven: Having toured extensively for so many years now, whilst on the road who’s given you the best advice and what was it?
Tim: Without giving us direct advice, naturally some of the older bands, just watching the way they do things. The first real tour we did we didn’t have road cases; we didn’t even have a trailer for that matter. I remember opening up for some of the bigger bands and realizing how the big bands do it and how they keep their gear working night after night.
Hardrock Haven: As you mentioned your last Australian visit was about a month before ‘The Powerless Rise’ was released, now that you’ve had so much time to digest the album, is there anything you would have changed?
Tim: I feel that we took all the time we needed to get things right, there’s always a few experiments that you think could sound better. Overall looking at the actual performances we captured on the Cd… I don’t think any of us could have gotten a better performance even if we had more time and that’s one thing that really makes us proud of the album.
Hardrock Haven: Take us through the writing process for As I Lay Dying. All bands have their own way of tackling the process from emailing samples / songs back and forth to getting together and jamming in a rehearsal space, how does the process work for you?
Tim: We do a combination of both; we email ideas back and forth. We all have our own demo studio set ups and we’ll just write and program in our ideas and make an MP3. Once we narrow down the stuff that seems to be working and have a good foundation we get together the old fashioned way and start jamming out in a rehearsal room.
Hardrock Haven: Even though you are still riding high on the success of ‘The Powerless Rise’ have you begun penning ideas for the next studio album?
Tim: Instead of waiting two – three years to do a new full-length album, we’re going to put out something later this year for our tenth anniversary. It will be a combination of new songs, cover songs, and a few remixes. We really wanted to do something to celebrate our tenth anniversary so we’re putting together ideas for that. We have three new songs ready to mix.
Hardrock Haven: Tim, with the tenth anniversary of the band upon us, what comes to mind when you look back on the early days, the industry has certainly changed a lot since then!
Tim: I look back at how much the industry has changed as a whole. When I first started the band, the songs that I wrote and the ideas I was sharing, we always assumed that with our style of music we would be able to peruse it for a while but then we would have to give up on it and get real jobs. Not only has our genre gotten a lot bigger but the band has developed a lot over the years. When I look back I realize just how much has changed. Some things have changed for the better but certain aspects of the music industry have changed for the worst. I think it’s a lot harder for a band to get started now than it was back when we were first writing songs.
Hardrock Haven: When you look at your peers and other artists in the heavier genres, who have you been surprised to learn was a fan of your work?
Tim: A lot of the lighter rock radio-rock bands. Off top of my head I can’t think of any names but just the fact that we’re touring with Disturbed and that we have mutual respect for each other’s music. We’re both in the metal genre but we’re different and I think it’s cool when artists have a mutual respect for other artists that don’t sound exactly alike.
Hardrock Haven: Mate as many people are aware you play a variety of instruments, if you had to choose only one to use from this point on what one would you choose and why?
Tim: I think having a voice and being able to do something more than strictly just the art of music, to make a point and to influence other people through my lyrics is a unique opportunity that I’d hate to give up!
Hardrock Haven: You’re currently touring with Trivium and Disturbed and plans are already in place to commemorate the bands Tenth Anniversary, what other immediate plans are in place for the band?
Tim: Once the tenth anniversary release comes out we want to do some special shows for that. We will be touring throughout the rest of the year and then start working on a new full-length album.
Hardrock Haven: Tim over the years you have played alongside many amazing artists and in recent times we’ve seen the formation of more and more super groups like The Damned Things and Chickenfoot. If given the opportunity would you ever consider joining or putting together a super group and who would you love to collaborate with?
Tim: Yeah I’d like it… but on more of a casual basis, I don’t need another full-time serious band. If I had to put something together I’d go for friendship first over picking members to play with. I would want to have fun if I was to consider another side project. I haven’t really thought too much about who I’d play with but interestingly enough just for an example Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed has written a bunch of new songs and they are for something else that he’s trying to do and he’s asked me if I want to do a song with him. Hatebreed have been around forever and really formed the current scene so I’d love to do a song with him, I’m really honored.
Hardrock Haven: I look forward to hearing it! Tim thanks again for your time, and have a blast whilst in Australia with Trivium and Disturbed. Do you have any last words for our readers?
Tim: We really love touring Australia as I said; it’s just like a vacation anytime we get to come down.